The last few years have been disruptive and even devastating for many people, but there has also been a period of innovation and enterprise. At times it felt as though the forward march of progress had come to a halt. In many areas, though, the advance continued and at a quicker pace - particularly in higher education and corporate learning.

Beset by new challenges, we have been confronted by an unfamiliar terrain, where nothing is as easy as we supposed.  However, we now have the hope offered by new insights into what is possible for all of us. How can we regain our confidence and recapture the ground we have lost? How can we make the most of the new flexibility we have discovered?

Last year, the Chair of OEB Global, Rebecca Stromeyer, commented, "The world has been changed forever by the COVID-19 pandemic." Cut to one year later, and the situation may have progressed, but it is undeniable that the world will never be the same. Stromeyer recently expanded on her observation of last year: “Educational institutions in particular have had to learn very quickly. And, for them it has been transformative learning - the sort of learning that changes an institution."

This brings us to the theme of OEB Global this year, "Re-imagining our Vision for Learning."

With the breathless uptake of remote learning and teaching, the use of learning technologies sky rocketed during the pandemic. This, in turn, called for innovative solutions to tackle stakeholders' issues, which often took the form of impromptu trials - a trend that was fuelled across the world. In the process, edtech was provided with a chance to show that digital learning is not only possible, but that it can actually be optimal, not only as an immediate response to the pandemic, but also for the longer term to address the world's education and training needs.

OEB Global will not only explore how we can prepare for the future of learning, but how we can equip students and workers for an uncertain future as well. Stromeyer observed, “We must help learners navigate between informal, non-formal, and formal learning opportunities throughout life" and added “It is a major challenge for all education and L&D professionals to step up and grow their capabilities to apply systems thinking, creativity, innovation, and boldness in changing contexts."

This November, OEB will investigate the ways in which digital transformation will help the recovery of the education and training sectors. Major topics of discussion may include blended and hybrid delivery, linking curricula to workplace needs, and the role adaptive delivery will play in the future.

The conference will also be host to discussions on the renovations in learning design to suit a world coming out of a pandemic. We need to turn to the important roles of the learning designer and technologist and explore how we can create human experiences as we generate new knowledge for a changing world. Collaboration and social learning are important, especially after two very long years of remote learning and teaching and virtual meetings. "We need to openly discuss these issues with all stakeholders involved to create awareness and the necessary change in (digital) education and training", according to the Chair of the conference.

OEB Global is excited to welcome you to a leading international event in learning. During the period 23-25 November 2022, L&D professionals, education experts, policy makers, educators, leaning technologists, and many other experts from across the world will be gathering for a highly interactive event that features a comprehensive programme and accompanying exhibition. This exhibition and conference will offer a platform to discuss key issues for digital learning, giving all participants the opportunity to work together to re-imagine our collective vision for the education and training of the future.

In a variety of plenary sessions, workshops, lightning talks, panel discussions, meetups, boardroom dialogues, lectures, networking sessions, and discussions, the agenda will cover topics including

• the power of content and curriculum development and (data-driven) instructional design
• interactive multimedia as powerful tools
• interaction in synchronous and asynchronous virtual classrooms
• virtual worlds in teaching and training
• AI and personalised, adaptive delivery
• credentials, certifications, badges, and verification
• skills-based talent management
• technology integration
• managing and learning in complexity